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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. drill — army training
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fine — all right
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. content — the amount
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wax — to grow
  15. content — happy
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bore — to tire
  22. drill — the tool
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com